Sunday, 13 December 2015

A Thank you and an update

I want to say a thank you to all of you who read and comment on my
blog, and for all the emails I've received - it's great to meet such
lovely fellow makeup addicts. I want to let you know that I have
decided to break from blogging, though I will not delete the blog.
My reasoning is not a decline in my love for makeup, but rather that
I have grown disillusioned with what makeup blogs have become. I
started blogging back in 2009, and it was
a small, friendly community who loved cosmetics and wanted to give
an honest viewpoint as an alternative to magazines that were full of
paid-for content and altered photos.

I feel that cosmetic blogs have really changed since I first started
out; when I look around now, there are adverts all over the place,
bright-as-you-like images (so altered they bear no true colour
resemblance to the actual product), paid for reviews, and post after
post of free product reviews, that I feel detract from a blogger's
identity, when they are no longer selecting products themselves.
With many blogs now, I only really look at the product photos, as
the review content is worthless - it's all about pageviews and a
race for free products.

I don't care about any of this - I love cosmetics and simply wanted
to share my views with like minded people, suggesting what to avoid
and what was worth buying. Though I have a small blog, you do get
inundated with offers of free stuff, and though I rarely accept what
I'm offered, I do understand the temptation. There are still blogs
out there on the same wavelength as mine, but I feel like we
are on the decline, and distinctly in the minority - it seems that
the paid-for, disingenuous content we were fighting against
initially, is exactly what the majority of blogs have now become,
and that's absolutely not what I am about.
So thank you again to
those who have read my thoughts over the years, and take care.
This is not necessarily the end, but it's
definitely a hiatus.

46 comments:

Oh Clare, this made me so sad. Just because brands are determined to convert blogs into magazines, you shouldn't give up. It is exactly the time to blog because there is less honest reviews out there. You can maybe post whenever you feel like again? Your blog is one of my favorite. I hope you change your mind or this is just a small break. :-***

Thanks Sara, that's lovely to know :) Your right, it is like brands are trying to take charge, I had a brand contact me recently out of the blue with some "helpful" suggestions to all my blog posts about them, asking me to go through them all putting in links and such like!

I'm sorry to read this, Your blog is fantastic. I don't agree with your view point although its fair to say I do see your point of view and there absolutely blogs that I won't read because I find their content useless, I do believe that it is possible to receive products for review purposes and have a genuine and valid view, and I believe there are still bloggers out there that are honest regardless of whether the sample was provided free of charge or not. I do however feel that the vast majority of the HUGE blogs are worthless in terms of content, and agree, product photos are their only worth.

Thanks :) I fully agree that there are posts where the products are provided are genuine, but its more the ones where post after post is provided for products, that creditability is brought into question. I've noticed that there is a bit of a trend away from relying on blog opinion to instead seeking it on makeup forums, so will be interesting to see what the future holds for beauty blogs.

hi Clare - i'm sorry to read this. you have a great blog. i have to say i totally agree with you. so many of the blogs that i loved in years past are now worthless to me. i like reading about what other cosmetics lovers choose themselves, because that is what the readers have to do.... choose for themselves and pay for items themselves. i respect your decision and wish you well.best, SJ

If only the beauty community was what it once was. I remember starting my first blog at a similar time than yours and I remember how everything used to be more genuine and honest, it's changed so much over the years. Its a shame that a lot of the blogs and YouTube channels who are the most fake also have the most followers, the nice thing about blogging back in the day was that our opinion was far truer than any of the paid magazines but I don't feel like that's the case anymore! I loved your blog so I home one day you'll feel like coming back but I wish you all the best regardless.

It really has changed Sara hasn't it, I guess with anything where there is an over-saturation things change, a blog was just a hobby back then. I hear you about YouTube, there are only 4 people I watch now. Thanks for the well wishes :)

Clare, Thank you for writing this post and not fading away with no notice. While sad to see you go, I know you've been thinking about this for a while. I love your blog and I've read each and every post knowing your true opinions were shining through in each and every one.xoxo

Dear Clare, I am so sorry to see you go (at least for now). I feel like I am just starting to getting to know your blog. Wish I'd found it sooner!For the reasons you stated, it seems there are lesser blogs I feel excited to read, which is really sad. I do hope you come back (please?).

Hi Clare, I don't comment much, but I read your every post. I hope it's only a hiatus because your blog is a treasure among all the beauty blogs. I started reading your blog back when Lydia at LondonMakeupGirl still had hers. You are quite unique. I love that you rarely have paid products, your opinions are very unbiased and you're also not inundated with new collections and don't buy *every* shade that was released (that's a pet peeve of mine, buying every shade just so you can make comparison swatches). I find it very hard to navigate the beauty blogging world now, I really can't find unique voices every one sounds like the same to me.

Anyway, long rant just to say I really love your blog and I hope you return if you get your blogging mojo back. In the meantime, happy makeups and all the best :)

Hi Ana, what a lovely comment, you have really made my day :) LondonMakeupGirl was one of my favourite blogs along with the likes of modestybrown, it really was a different scene back then, felt like being part of a friendly community.

Hi Clare, I'm sorry to hear that you are breaking from blogging. Although I'm not active anymore, I still follow your posts and love your honest reviews. I skim over lots of other bloggers content and there are only a few that I read with interest now.

Lovely to hear from you Meeta, I do miss your posts. I skim over a lot of blogs as well, the bigger ones are useful to see what new things are coming out but there is often no heart there if you get what I mean.

While I don't believe I've ever commented here, I have enjoyed reading all your posts. I will be sad to see this very honest blog go dark. But I do respect that you feel you must remain true to yourself.Unfortunately, honest blogs like yours are becoming few and far between. I wish you well.

So sorry to hear this Clare, but if your heart is not in it, there is no point. I've enjoyed reading your blog and value your opinion on the things you buy. I hope you will feel able to return after a break from it and I look forward to that day! Best wishes, Cx

Thanks Carin, I'm very glad you enjoyed it :) I think the blogging future will change quite a bit with the way things are moving onto more snapshot reviews like instagram and such like so will be interesting to see if blogs are still holding strong in a year or so.

Even though I am commenting today for the first time, I read your blog for a few years now. I enjoyed your posts and being pale, I always found your reviews very helpful. I am no blogger - just a makeup addict who used to love to read about beauty discoveries or who was grateful when being warned about a bad product - so that I could save that money and spend it on something else ;-) I have to admit that I can understand what you mean - I think most of the beauty blogs have changed and I have to confess that now I only read five blogs that I still enjoy and feel I can trust (or four, as yours was one of them, sigh). All the others just seem to show only PR Samples anymore. I have to say that I don't mind reading about a PR Sample, if I feel that the blogger accepted the product because she / he believes in the brand and if she / he still gives an honest opinion. But this barely happens anymore. Each PR Sample is "just absolutely perfect". And sadly based on those glowing reviews I bought way too many disappointing things, argh. I also find it frustrating to read how brands, that don't sent samples, are being bashed and I don't like to read the complaints about not getting enough free products. From a non blogger point of view - beauty blogs have changed into a "contest about who gets more free stuff". So your blog filled with honest reviews was one of a few treasures and I will miss it sooo much!!!Thank you for all your work and time, I truly enjoyed reading your blog. I wish your all the best for the future and hope you enjoy a wonderful Christmas with your family.xoxoStephanie

P.S. I am grateful that you don't delete your blog because I often find myself searching for reviews here (f.e. what foundation shade could be right for me, what Chanel RCS color is still missing in my collection, ...) and of course I hope that maybe you feel like blogging again one day :-)

Thank you so much for your lovely words, to read that you valued my reviews means a lot.There does seem a sense of entitlement amongst a lot of bloggers about getting free stuff, I just can't understand the rationale that brands should have to provide product for reviews, but I guess a lot of bloggers see their blogs as a business more than a hobby, which is fair enough but for the consumer I don't think its always the best, I've made a lot of mistake buys based on those types of blogs which makes me feel like I have been mislead.

Please can I ask what are the four other blogs you read so I can check them out in case I haven't already?

Hope you have a lovely Christmas and continue to add to your Chanel RCS collection, though I'm not feeling the Spring ones from the swatches I've seen thus far.

I am so sorry that it took me so long to answer. My "big darling" brought an early "christmas gift" home from the kindergarten and of course the whole family including my little baby boy caught it, too. Now we are back to our normal routine and I can finally answer. The blogs I enjoy are:- http://www.expatmakeupaddict.com/- http://gummyvision.com- http://www.laurzrah.comand http://thebeautybloss.comI hope you and your family are well and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with great gifts (maybe even some make up ☺️). I am off to order a few things from the Dior and Chanel spring collection (but not the RCS ;).I wish you all the best.Many hugs from GermanyStephanie

Hi Stephanie,Thanks so much for getting back to me, I look at those blogs as well so we clearly have similar tastes :) Sorry to hear about the illness, schools and nurseries seem such a breeding ground for lots of fun germs!Hope you like what you end up buying from the Chanel/Dior Spring, I'm liking the Dior Addict Lilac lip glow x

I've loved your blog for a very long time. For years I couldn't comment--not sure why, my computer system just seemed to disagree with commenting on certain sites!--but I read your posts regularly and with great interest. At first because your taste in makeup, and your skin type (as I've mentioned before), is similar to mine. But eventually just because I enjoyed the way you write and the things you write about. Your voice will be so missed on the internet airwaves. And yet I certainly see why you'd be disillusioned by the blogging world. Even some bloggers who once said they'd never accept free items, let alone agree to be paid to post, now do so regularly. It seems like almost all of the bloggers like you, who don't care to be part of the money-making side of blogging, are leaving the blogosphere. You're in very good company, though it makes me quite sad to see you go.

I wish you all the best in figuring out what to do with your free time now that you won't be writing posts and taking photos for them! ;) Seriously, I wish you the very best with all that comes next in your life. And if you make it back to the internet some day, I'll be extremely happy to read your posts again.

Thanks Sam for such a lovely comment. I think we have very similar tastes so its always been a joy conversing with you. I will miss blogging a lot and it will be very odd buying stuff and not sharing my thoughts but the medium just isn't right for me at the moment.

I'm sure what free time I have will be taken up with my baby girl, she is already showing a keen interest in my makeup, loves trying to put compacts in her mouth, funny she always homes in on the more expensive brands!

I completely agree, and I also have a small, non-commercial beauty blog. I just discovered yours today because of a link on The Non-Blonde--enjoy your break, but please come back. Your writing is elegant and thoughtful, and the makeup community would be the poorer without it.

Apologies, as I'm very late to see this and offer my comment. I totally understand your decision, I bowed out long ago for similar sorts of reasons - especially because I had too much going on at home to feel like I could keep up with the changing blog environment.

Thanks for stopping by Jane, I do admit I'm always hopeful that one day you'll return to blogging but can see the advantages to not doing it anymore.I think it was the right time for me to go, blogging is heading in a direction that's not for me.I hope you and your family are keeping well, take care xx

Clare, I am sorry I am so late to comment. I also took a break from blogging in January due to an illness and death in the family but also for some of the same reasons you mentioned. I'm not sure if I will revisit it at some point in the future. I can understand your feelings on this subject and agree completely! I will miss your posts and helpful, unbiased reviews. Wishing you all the best xo

I'm really sorry to hear you have been through a rough time, really hope things start to improve for you. I noticed you had stopped posting, your blog was one of my favourites, always honest reviews and beautiful imagery so I will be really pleased if you do revisit blogging at some point.

I keep meaning to comment and keep forgetting - I'm really sorry, but I suppose better late than never...

This saddens me greatly, but I totally respect and understand your decision. I feel the same (I think about quitting everyday), and as the months tick on I feel the blogging world only gets worse - to the point where I now assume product is PR or something is an ad unless stated otherwise. I don't mind PR samples or ads, but when that encompasses an entire bloggers content...well...things get really murky from there and I'm not interested.

I hope you are enjoying your time away!!! I know I didn't comment a lot, but I did always read and I miss seeing your name on my feed. Thank you for sticking around for as long as you did - you were always one of the bloggers I looked up to :-) I MISS YOU!!!!

Thanks for your kind comment Gummy. I think beauty blogging is certainly going in a direction I'm not interested in, since I stopped, it seems that even more of the what I'd consider "real" blogs have ceased so I am glad that yours hasn't as I know I can always trust your posts.

Scarily I think I have bought more makeup/skincare since I stopped blogging, its feels very weird not to be able to share my thoughts with others about all of it.